DL Hughley Show logo
Fantastic Voyage Generic Graphics Updated Nov 2023
Black America Web Featured Video
CLOSE

Valentine’s Day will soon be upon us, and there’s no better end to a perfect date than cuddling up on the couch with the perfect romantic movie.  Whether your tastes run to the sultry, poetic vibes of “Love Jones” or having your funny bone tickled with a more romantic comedy like “Boomerang”,  Black cinema has something for everyone…except if you’re trying to stream it on Netflix.  While they have a mind-boggling amount of mainstream movies in  their “Romance” category, the most popular Black love stories are not available for instant viewing.

We’ve listed ten classic Black romance dramas and romantic comedies that should make Netflix’s “Instant Play” list in time for Lovers’ Day :

1. Love Jones (1997)

With its irresistible blend of neo-soul music, spoken work and witty banter, “Love Jones” spoke to a younger generation of black moviegoers hungry for a hipper, artistic view of Black life.

2. Love & Basketball (2000)

The traditional “boy meets girl” gets an interesting twist as Sidney (Sanaa Lathan) tries to balance her love for Quincy (Omar Epps) with her love for the game.

3. Mahogany (1975)

Diana Ross is an ambitious fashion designer with dreams of fortune that will take her out of the slums of Chicago, but her boyfriend Brian (Billy Dee Williams) wants to stay and better his community.

4. Lady Sings The Blues (1972)

Diana Ross scored a Best Actress Oscar nomination as the brilliant but tortured songstress Billie Holliday.

5. Nothing But A Man (1964)

A stunning film that explores race and class, Ivan Dixon plays Duff, a railroad worker who falls in love with Josie (Abbey Lincoln), a soft-spoken schoolteacher.  Duff fights to overcome a painful past and threats from racist townspeople to keep his love for Josie alive.

6. Claudine (1974)

A single mother of six (Diahann Carroll), Claudine works hard to make ends meet when she meets falls for a sanitation worker (James Earl Jones), who is more than ready to take on Claudine and her boisterous brood.

7. Jason’s Lyric (1994)

This 1994 classic tugged at the heartstrings as two young lovers (Allen Payne, Jada Pinkett) find paradise in each other as their violent surroundings threaten to tear them apart.

8. Paris Blues (1961)

Eddie Cook (Sidney Poitier), an American  jazz musician who now makes Paris his home, falls head over heels for the beautiful and  headstrong Connie Lampson (Diahann Carroll).

9. Something New (2006)

Director Sanaa Hamri  de-stigmatized the  topic of  interracial dating in this smart romantic comedy.

10.  Think Like A Man (2012)

Director Tim Story assembles an A-Team of Black Hollywood (Gabrielle Union, Michael Ealy, Megan Good, Taraji P. Henson, Meagan Good) in a hilarious battle of the sexes.

Keep Up With The D.L. Hughley Show On Facebook!

10 Black Romance Movies That Should Be On Netflix (But Aren’t)  was originally published on theurbandaily.com